Telegraph-transmitter



(NO Model.) l 2 sheets-sheet 1. C. WILLOUGHBY.

TELEGRAPH TRANSMITTER.

No. 480,644. Patented ugf 9, 1892.

I a citizen of the United States, residing at San UNITED 'STATI-3sA PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WILLOUGHBY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TELEG RAPH-TRANSM ITTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 480,644, dated August 9, 1892.

Application filed .Tune 30, 1891. Serial1To.398,'056. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WILLo UGHBY,

Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Telegraph-Transmitters and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to telegraph transmitters; and it consists of a bank of keys, one for each letter or character desired, and other mechanism to be hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

The object of my invention is to construct a transmitter having a bank of keys by means of which the Morse or other telegraph alphabet and characters can be transmitted over the wires by the pressure of keys corresponding to each letter similarly arranged to a typewriter, thus attaining a higher rate of speed,

perfect letters, and with muchlesslabor than the old system of a key, which requires a number of movements for each character. The pressure of one key is sufficient to make any letter or character used, Whereas Where made by the key now in general use from two to fifteen movements are necessary to make one character.

In connection with the bank ofgkeys I use a pair of sliding plates provided with raised surfaces representing the characters orsignals to be transmitted, with partitions between each letter to hold said plates in position until the carriage has descended over the letter, these plates to be moved into position by a lever under the key-bars and stopped at the proper place by a set of stops connected with each letter-bar and so arranged that the depression of a letter will cause the stop to move in the way of the plate, thus stopping it at the desired point. A carriage carrying electric attachments so arranged that the depression of a point will make a signal to correspond with the length of time the point is depressed. This point is to be depressed by the raised surfaces of the sliding characterplates, and the carriage to be raised by a lever under the letter-bars and provided with a device by means of which the carriage after attaining the proper height will be released by a slip-catch and descend under the action of a spring, the descent to beretarded by an air-chamber, from which the escape of air can be regulated,'so as to allow it to descend slow or fast. If the signals are to be read by sound at the receiving-cnice, they will necessarily be slow; but if they are to be taken off on tape by an automatic receiver they may bevery rapid; and with these ends in view my invention consists of the parts and combination of parts, as will be more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of the transmitter. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the characterplate. Fig. 6 is a section of the same on the line x, Fig. 5;'and Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the spring-stops.

A represents the lower frame of the transmitter, having a bank of keys B similar to a type-writer.

C is a frame extending across the machine immediately underneath the letter-bars B and works on a center at c, said frame being provided with a rearwardly-extending arm c', so that the depression of any letter-bar will depress this arm.

D is a iiat bar extending across the frame A, and is provided with upwardly-extending arms d, between which the type-bar levers work. The bar D is secured to an upright piece d, which is provided with a series of holes d2, by means of which the bar D may be adjusted higher or lower, thereby allowing the key levers or bars B alonger movement.

E is a iiat piece of metal extended across the frame A and has turned-up ends E E'. Secured to =these ends E are two posts e e, the upper ends c e of which are bent at right angles.

H is a frame secured to the posts c, and the sides H I-I of said frame are each providedwith a groove h, in which slide character-plates I. These plates are each provided with characters of the telegraph-alphabet, and between said characters partitions t" are secured for the purpose hereinafter referred to. On the IOO rear of the plates I are secured arms t2, having a lug t3 at their outer extremities, and) springs 'Z4 connect said arms 2 to the frame Il. K K are levers having a slot K' near their upper ends, in which works a pin K2, said pin K2 being secured to the rear of the characterplates.

Z are springs for retaining the levers K in a normal position. levers K are bent at right angles and are piv- The lower ends of the leoted at 7c. Pivoted to these ends 7c Zr, are links 7c'. (See Fig. 3.)

7a2 are rods the inner ends of which hang in thelinks k andthe outer ends of which are secured in brackets k3.

These rods k2 lie immeattached to the respective character-plates I.

Thusit will readily be seen that when a letterbar is pressed down it comes in` contact with one of the bars k2 and forces it downward,

carrying with it the link k', and thus throw#L ing one of the levers K, with the `charact-'erplate I, toward the center of the machine.

L is a plate 1-shaped, and it is secured in a suitable manner to the plateE, orit maybe cast 7 integral with the same. The said plate L has two lugs Z Z cast on it, as shown.

Between i the lugs ZZ is a plate L', having a slot Z in its i forward end. A thumb-screw Z2 is secured in the slot Z and engages a screw-threaded hole in the plate L, thereby adapting the plate L l to be adjustable backward and forward.

Z2 are posts secured in the plate L, and are connected together at the top by means ot' a cross-piece Z4.

Z5 is a plate extending from the top of the frame H, and is provided with aslot, through which werks a set-screw ZG, thus connecting the plate Z4, which connects the post Zato the l plate Z5.

M is a cylinder secured to the plate `L and A provided with a regulating-valve for the purl poses hereinafter described.

M is a piston having the head M2, working i in the cylinder M.

up and down on post Z3. The piston-rod M' i is connected to this block N.

N is a slot cut entirely through the block N, and working in the same is a spring N2,

which is secured to the block at n.

fn is a roller loosely mounted on the block N, and is provided with a rim n2.

4n2 is an insulated plate, through which works the contact-point n, which is screw-threaded i and provided with a head nii In is a jam-nut working on the contactpoint.

n.7 is another insulated plate secured to the block N, and is provided with a contactoint ns.

The plate O is attached to the frame H of the machine, so as to bringit on a plane with roller n2 on the block N. O is a lever suitably pivoted. A rod p2 is attached to said lever at one end, while its other end is secured to the rearwardly-extendin g arm c. O2 is a slip-catch on one end of lever 0', which is brought to its normal positionby means of spring o2, said slip-catch being arranged to catch under roller n2 and raiseit to the proper height under the pressure of the arm c. The catch on end of lever O allows said lever (after performing its duty of raising block N toits proper height) to pass over roller 'n2 and return to its normal position under the pull of spring G. The roller n2 is mounted on block N simply for the purpose of allowing lever O to raise said block without friction. The number of spring-lingers p and p correspond with the number of characterson the character-plates and number of letter-bars in the bank of keys, and are attached to thetop cross-piece H', in which the character-plates slide, (oneplate on each side,) in such a manner that the slight depression of any springfinger will cause it (one of the spring-fingers) i to move in the way of a projection -on the characterplate and stop it at the proper place. Each finger-stop is connected by wire or other material with a corresponding'letterbar and stop, the character-plate at the letter corresponding to the letter on the letter-bar.

The operation is as follows: By pressing one of the letter-bars B it comes in contact with the rod k2, to which is connected one of the levers I by link 7c', thus moving the character-plate K2 in position in the center of the frame H. The spring stops or lingers p or 1J IOO are also by this movement pulled down by means of the `wire 192 being attached to the letter bars B. Thus the character-plate is held in the proper position by this stop, there bef ing one stop for each character. At the same time the letter-bar B also strikes the pivoted frame C, thereby depressing the rearwardlyextending arm c', which by means of the rod p2 pulls one end of the lever 0 -down and forces the slip-catch against the looserol'ler n2, thereby raising the block N,which carries the contactspring N2 and piston M' up into 1 place just back of the character-plate I. N isa blockwith grooved s1des,which slide When the character-plate is brought to the proper place, the block N is disconnected by the slip-catch leaving the roller u2, and descends by means of a spring connected to the block N and plate L, thus pulling the spring N2 over the character representing the desired letter. The character-plate is held in position by means of the spring-stops p or p and the partitions i', the contact-spring N2 working between said partitions. Ot course it is understood that the contact-spring N2 is raised and 1n position before the character-plate is 1n its proper position under said contactspring, thus obviating any interference with the contact-spring N2 and the small partitions ft" `when the` character-plate is sliding into proper position. The air-chamber is provided with a trap, which lets the air in as the piston IIO ascends; but as the piston descends the pressure of air oers resistance to the downward movement of the block N, causing it to go at a speed which makes the characters easily readable by ear.

In Fig. 8 I show the electrical connections which are attached to block N. V is a Y- shaped piece of spring steel or other metal attached firmly to block N at points X. W is an insulated point of contact attached to block N, to which one line is connected. Y is the point of contact on V. The depression of point X causes point of contact Y to move over against point W, thus closing the circuit, the length ot' which depends on the pressure at point X. The point X is depressed by the block N descending (under the action of the spring from block Nto plate L) and passing over character-plate. The Y- shaped piece V is attached to the block N in such a manner that when there is no pressure against X the points Y and W will remain apart. As each depression of point Xcauses a signal to go to line, as many raised points as there are on the character-plate in any one letter that many signals will go to the line, and the length of signals will correspond to the breadth of the point, and each letter or `character will be made from the depression and p and means for connecting said stops, respectively, to the respective letter-bars, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a transmitter, substantially as herein described, the combination, with characterplates adapted to move horizontally and levers pivoted to said plates, of spring-stops p and p', said levers and spring-stops adapted to be operated by the finger-bars B, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a transmitter, substantially as herein described, having horizontally-sliding character-plates, an adj ustablereciprocating block or carriage, and a contact-spring located in said block, said spring adapted to engage the character-plates, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a transmitter, substantially as herein described, the combination, with an adjustable reciprocating block or carriage having a contact-spring and points 'as and n4 and a roller loosely mountedthereon, of a cylinder and piston and means for reciprocating said carriage, said piston being connected with the block or carriage, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a transmitter, substantially as herein described, the combination, with an adjustable block or carriage having a contact-sprin g and loosely-mounted roller and a piston connected with said block or carriage, of alever pivoted to the frame of the transmitter and provided with a slipcatch and connected with a lever immediately below and operated by the letter or inger bars B, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WILLOUGHBY.

Vitnesses:

SAML. K. DYER, WM. J. KIRKWooD. 

